The Firebaugh FFA department was recognized last month for its outstanding team of teachers, and the team of six teachers took to the stage to receive recognition for their hard work last year.
Gene Lieb, a 13-year agriculture teacher at Firebaugh High School, took home the Teacher of Excellence award. At the same time, the ag department as a whole won the award for Outstanding 5 to 6 Person Secondary Department at the Bootlegger’s Ball put on by the California Agricultural Teachers Association (CATA).
The ag teachers, a six-person team consisting of Gene Lieb, Erica Correia, Graciela Martinez, Michael Ortiz and Katelyn Smith, are overjoyed at their victory and can’t wait to hit the ground running next school year.
The CATA awards are a yearly banquet put on by the organization of its namesake and supported by educators and school boards across the state.
As the name suggests, the ceremony is a chance for the state to recognize the many people and support teams who pass on valuable knowledge and experience to tomorrow’s farmers, and to bring together teachers from multiple regions under one roof to acknowledge the hard work happening in every corner of the Golden State.
Each time the awards dinner is thrown, there is a new theme for the night. The theme at last month’s dinner was “Speakeasy” (hence the “Bootlegger’s Ball” moniker), and guests were treated to a rustic dining experience wrapped in wood and shimmering gowns – there was even a password hidden in the organization’s social media posts promoting the event that keen-eyed guests could decipher to get some extra treats during the soiree.
Multiple awards were given out to different sectors of educators, and each and every recipient got to have their moment on stage to represent their department, school and region of California.
Despite being the winner of the coveted Teacher’s Excellence award, Lieb did not have to wait long to hear (or rather, read) the news of his victory: as the acting president of CATA, Lieb was made aware of the results of his and his coworker’s nominations through his work as the leading figure of the organization.
The results were given to both Lieb and his five cohorts in the ag department while they were on a business trip, and the tight-knit team of teachers celebrated their victories together.
The award was as hard-won as the position of President: Lieb was involved with the Ag Board of Firebaugh for multiple years, wearing various hats before he was even considered for a leadership role.
Having cut his teeth on the various secretarial and support roles that new members of the ag congregation are allowed to take on, Lieb’s unwavering commitment to the students of Firebaugh brought him to the presidential desk five years after joining.
None of the award-winning Firebaugh ag team has any plans to leave the school any time soon; on the contrary, the staff is more devoted than ever to their work for and with the students of FFA.
“[Teaching] is really rewarding, and we all enjoy the people we work with,” says Lieb, reflecting on the camaraderie of the team after the awards, “We have awesome students, as everyone does. They’re so passionate and inspire us to always do better.”
Firebaugh FFA celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and taking home a couple of awards was one of the best ways to honor five decades of ag development.
The latest CATA award show has inspired the FFA team to keep their boots on the ground and their hearts in their work, and after school starts up in August, Lieb, Correia, Martinez, Ortiz and Smith will get to work planning the annual toy drives, turkey drives and food bank volunteer hours for the holidays.
No matter the occasion or the weather, though, the dedicated educators of California will be doing all they can to support America’s future farmers.
